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2000 European Grand Prix
21 May |officialname = XLIV Warsteiner Grand Prix of Europe |circuit = Nürburgring |location = Nürburg, Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.556 |laps = 67 |distance = 305.252 |pole = David Coulthard |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:17.529 |fastestlap = 1:22.269 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 8 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Mika Häkkinen |secondnation = FIN |secondteam = |third = David Coulthard |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The 2000 European Grand Prix, otherwise officially sponsored as the XLIV Warsteiner Grand Prix of Europe, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany, on the 21 May 2000.'European GP, 2000', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr652.html, (Accessed 03/09/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim victory on home soil, as rain gave the German ace a chance to beat the two . Indeed, qualifying had seen the two McLarens enjoy an exclusive duel for pole, with David Coulthard ultimately emerging ahead of Mika Häkkinen. Schumacher would, however, manage to squeeze between them after Häkkinen made a mistake on his fastest lap, while Rubens Barrichello secured fourth. The start saw Coulthard make a poor start, allowing Häkkinen to storm into the lead, while Schumacher held onto second. Coulthard was hence left to fight with fellow number two Barrichello into the first corner, as Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher squabbled behind. Further back there would be an early collision, with Jarno Trulli bouncing off the side of Giancarlo Fisichella and breaking his suspension. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was also in trouble, being punted off by the two s as they tried to scramble up the order. Come the end of the opening lap Häkkinen held a half second lead over Schumacher, with Coulthard and Barrichello watching on. The top four subsequently eased clear during the early stages to leave Villeneuve in fifth, with the Canadian fulfilling his usual role of backing up the midfield. Villeneuve would eventually slip behind Ralf Schumacher and Fisichella, as Michael Schumacher tried to pressure Häkkinen for the lead. However, there would be no changes among the top four, with rain appearing on lap ten to add a little bit of intrigue. Barrichello was the first to benefit, slithering ahead of Coulthard as the rain steadily increased, while Ralf Schumacher slipped back down the field. Heavy rain then began to pound the circuit midway through lap twelve, prompting Johnny Herbert to begin an en-masse charge into the pits for wet tyres. Michael Schumacher and Häkkinen came in together on lap fifteen, although both had issues during their stops. Ultimately, however, Schumacher's crew were able to get the #3 out ahead of the #1 McLaren, with Häkkinen slipping down to fifth. Once the remaining drivers made their stops it was Schumacher leading from Coulthard, Häkkinen and Fisichella, while Barrichello, the last of the leaders to stop slipped to ninth. Schumacher duly began to ease away from Coulthard, who duly let a charging Häkkinen through once it became clear that the Finn was faster. Indeed, with the conditions remaining wet but stable there was no need to try and conserve tyres, with everyone needing to make atleast one more stop for fuel. As such, Häkkinen and Schumacher would exchange "fastest" laps as the Finn tried to hunt down the German, with the pair ultimately split by ten seconds after their second stops. With that the fight for lead was over, with Schumacher able to keep Häkkinen at bay in the final laps to secure victory. Coulthard, meanwhile, would claim third ahead of Barrichello, who had recovered to fourth using a three-stop strategy, while Fisichella and Pedro de la Rosa completed the points scorers. Background Mika Häkkinen had scored his first win of the season, and hence moved up to second in the Championship hunt with 22 points. He was, however, still some fourteen points shy of Michael Schumacher at the head of the hunt, with the German ace the only driver to have scored in each of the opening five races. Behind, David Coulthard was two off of Häkkinen in third, with Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher completing the top five. In the Constructors Championship a second successive one-two for had ensured that they had eaten into 's lead, leaving Spain on 42 points. The Scuderia themselves still held a seven point advantage, although momentum seemed to be with their Anglo-German rivals. A hugely familiar gap then followed back to the team in third, which appeared in the form of , while had inched ahead of to secure fourth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Heidfeld had his times deleted as his car was found to be 2kg underweight. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Button, Herbert and Wurz were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Johnny Herbert made his 150th Grand Prix start.'6. Europe 2000', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2000/europe.aspx, (Accessed 03/09/2019) * 50th Grand Prix start for Jarno Trulli. * 39th career victory for Michael Schumacher. * claimed their 129th win as a constructor and engine supplier. Standings Victory for Michael Schumacher left the German ace with 46 points to his name in , having claimed the win in four of the opening six rounds. Mika Häkkinen had hence lost ground in second, slipping eighteen behind, while David Coulthard retained third on 24. Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher completed the top five, while Pedro de la Rosa had become the thirteenth scorer of the season. In the Constructors Championship had marginally increased their lead, moving onto 62 points for the campaign. That left them ten ahead of in second, with a huge 37 point gap between themselves and compatriots in third. Elsewhere, had moved back ahead of , while were on the board in eighth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2000 Grands Prix Category:European Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Germany